NEW YORK, June 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Sporting News Media, a PERFORM Group Company, which owns SportingNews.com, the Sporting News (SN) ePlayer and the US and Canadian editions of Goal.com, has today released their third annual survey into US sports media consumption. The USSports Media Consumption Report 2013, produced in conjunction with Kantar Media and TV Sports Markets, provides an annual snapshot of trends around the devices, platforms and types of content fans engage with in an increasingly diverse media landscape and this year finds that while social networking and smartphone usage have gone mainstream for sports fans, connected TV and second screen viewing are still experiencing low adoption.

The study, which surveyed over 1,000 American adults aged 18+ in February 2013, found over a third of sports fans use smartphones to access sports content, and of those fans, 36% access sports content via their mobile device at least once per day. Also, a quarter of US sports fans are now using social networking platforms to follow sports. The majority of social fans follow sports on Facebook (77%), followed by YouTube (47%) and Twitter (33%). However, while only 7% of fans say they use connected TV to consume sports, 19% believe connected TVs will have the biggest impact on the way they consume sports in the next two years. Despite the hype around second screen viewing, the report found that 4% of fans believe that second screen consumption of sports will have a big impact on the way sports is consumed in the next two years.

Television continues to be used by almost all sports fans to follow sports, with 44% of fans watching sports in HD television. Online consumption of sports remains the second most popular method, and it is now considerably ahead of print. Print and radio usage have both seen a decline in usage in the last two years.

In the US, 1 in 3 online fans watch sports video highlights via PC and mobile. Live streaming and video highlights are the most popular types of content watched online, followed by news and interviews. News is the most sought after written content for fans that access sports content online and 35% of online fans access sports content via newspaper websites or apps.

In surveying attitudes towards branding around sports, the study found that engaged sports fans are likely to spend more time consuming content across a variety of methods and are therefore more likely to be exposed to brands that sponsor or advertise around sports. 42% will also have a positive opinion about brands that sponsor or advertise around sports, leading to more interest, greater trust, and an even higher propensity to purchase than all fans.

Sporting News Media President, Jeff Price commented: "In a fragmented media landscape, it's important for us to understand where and how sports fans are engaging with content. It's interesting to follow news on the latest gadgets and apps to hit the market for fans, but for business stakeholders like sports publishers, marketers and of course leagues, it's crucial to find and engage fans at scale. This annual report helps provide a snapshot of the market and focus on what is of most interest to most fans."

About Sporting News MediaSporting News Media is a PERFORM Group Company and a market leader in the creation, distribution and monetization of premium sports media content for digital audiences in the US and Canada, reaching an audience in excess of 30 million sports fans each month.

Sporting News Media owns and operates SportingNews.com, the US and Canadian editions of Goal.com and the Sporting News (SN) ePlayer, which syndicates professional and collegiate digital video from the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, PGA Tours, MLS, WTA, ATP, UFC, SEC, Pac-12, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC conferences across 250 leading national and local publisher sites in North America.

Sporting News Media is ranked number one in digital sports video viewership in the US (comScore Video Metrix, April 2013) and fifth overall in digital sports media in the US (comScore Media Metrix, Multi-Platform, April 2013).

About PERFORM Group PLCPERFORM is a leader in the commercialization of multimedia sports content across internet-enabled digital platforms. Through production, technical and commercial solutions, PERFORM powers digital channels that distribute content in a number of forms – video, editorial, audio and data – across multiple platforms, to millions of sports fans around the world. PERFORM Group PLC is a FTSE250 listed business on the London Stock Exchange.www.performgroup.com

About TV Sports MarketsTV Sports Markets, part of the SportBusiness Group, publishes hard-to-get, specialist information on the business of television sport. It publishes the acclaimed fortnightly newsletter which has been relied on for over 15 years by the industry's top TV executives for accurate information and reliable analysis.www.tvsportsmarkets.com

KantarSportKantarSport are the world's leading sports and entertainment research specialists, delivering actionable insights to over 250 sports federations, rights holders, clubs/teams, venues, broadcasters and sponsors globally. A specialist agency in Kantar Media with over 50 offices worldwide, KantarSport provides market leading monitoring, evaluation and market research services that help clients make more informed decisions about how sport and entertainment can impact on consumer behaviour in order to grow their business.www.kantarmediauk.com/kantarsport.aspx